Mail-box.



N 4- Patented July 24, 1900..

T. GASKINS. l

MAIL BOX (Application Med Dec. 1, 1999.)

(No Model.)

name STATES PATENT Grain THOMAS GASKINS, OF ARCADIA, FLORIDA.

MAILMBOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,534, dated July 24, 1900.

Application filed December 1, 1899. Serial No. 738,908. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS GAsKINs,a citizen of the United States, residing atArcadia, in the county of De Soto and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to house mail-boxes, and its novelty and advantages will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved mail-box with the lid and doors thereof shown as open. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the mail-box and the wall of the house to which it is connected.

vReferring by letter to the said drawings, A is my improved mail-box, which is preferably of rectangular form in cross-section and has its rear wall at extended beyond its side walls I), as shown, so as to permit of it being readily connected to the wallB of a house, at one side of the street-door thereof. The said box is provided at its lower end with a compartment O for letters, to which access is gained by opening a door D, connected in a hinged manner to the front wall 0 of the box and equipped with a combination or other suitable lock E.

The compartment 0 is formed by a horizontal partition-wall d in conjunction with the outer walls of the box and letters are placed therein through a chute F. This chute is formed between the front wall 0 of the box and an inner transverse wall e and extends from an openingf in the top wall g of the box to the compartment 0.

G is a compartment which is formed by the walls d and e in conjunction with the outer walls of the box and is designed to receive newspapers and other packages. Packages are placed in this compartment through an opening it in the top wall 9, and access is gained to the interior of the same for the removal of packages by opening a door G, connected in a hinged manner to one of the side walls I) and adapted to be normally held in a closed position by a suitable fastener H.

The top wall 9 of the box is preferably in clined downwardly and outwardly, and the openings f h therein are normally closed by a lid I, which is connected in a hinged manner to said wall 9 and is provided with a suitable fastener 2', whereby it may be secured in its closed position, so as to exclude the weather from the compartments.

In order to apprise inmates of the house when a letter or package is deposited in the box A, I provide the mechanism shown in Fig. 2. This mechanism comprises a gong j, connected to the inner side of the Wall E, a spring-hammer also connected to the inner side of the wall 13 in a position to strike the gongj, a trip Z, fulcrumed on a bracket m, connected to the wall B and having the lateral downwardly inclined V-shaped projection Z, the forward edge Z of which is adapted when the trip is rocked in the direction indicated by arrow to engage and press the hammer away from the gong and then release said hammer, so as to enable it to for cibly strike the gong j, and a rod 12, extending through an opening in the wall B and connecting the trip Z and the lid I of box A. By virtue of this construction when the lid I is raised by a postman precedent to depositing a letter or package in the box A the trip ,Z will be rocked in the direction indicated by arrow and its projection Z will press the hammer 7c away from the gong j and then release said hammer, with the result that the same will fly back and forcibly strike the gong and sound an alarm. When the lid is lowered subsequent to the deposit of a letter or package in the box, the trip Z by virtue of the rear beveled edge p of projection Z will ride past the hammer 7c and assume the position shown in Fig. 2.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my improved mai1-=box is very simple and compact and that mail may be readily placed therein by a postman and conveniently removed therefrom by an authorized person. It will also be observed that when the lid I of the box is raised the inmates of the house will be apprised of the deposit of mail in the box, while when said lid is closed the mail-matter will be protected from the weather and against theft.

I prefer to connect the box and its appurtenances to a wall of a house atone side of the street=door, but do not desire to be confined to the same, as in some cases the box and alarm mechanism may be mounted on the street-door or other suitable support and may be placed in offices and other places where mail is received.

In lieu of the attaching-screws or.other devices being passed through the extended portion of the inner Wall of the box they may, if desired, be passed through said inner wall in the compartment 0, thus rendering it necessary to open the door D in order to remove the box from its support.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is- 1. The combination of a suitable support, a mail-box connected to the outer side of said support and having an opening in its top, and also having a hinged lid for closing said opening, a gong arranged at the inner side of the support, the spring-hammer 7r; also connected to the inner side of the support, the trip Z pivotally connected to a bracket on the inner side of the support and having the lateral V- shaped projection Z provided with the edges 1 and p for engaging the spring-hammer, and a rod extending loosely through the support and connecting said trip and the hinged lid, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a suitable support, a mail-box connected to the outer side of the said support and having at its lower end a compartment for letters provided with a door, and also having a chute arranged adjacent to its front wall and extending from its top to the letter-compartment, a compartment for packages, formed by the upper wall of the letter-compartment and the inner wall of the chute in conjunction with the backand side walls of the box, the top wall having an open ing formed therein and communicating with the package-compartment, and a hinged lid for closing said opening and the upper end of the chute, a gong arranged at the inner side of the support, the spring-hammer it also connected to the inner side of the support, the trip Z pivotally connected to a bracket on the inner side of the support and having the lateral V-shaped projection Z provided with the edges 1* and p for engaging the springhammer, and a rod extending loosely through the support and connecting said trip and the hinged lid, all substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- IIQSSGS.

THOMAS GASKINS. Witnesses:

OWEN 1-1. PARKER, W. S. FUTOH. 

